Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 10:25 pm Post subject: THIS IS THE BEST CHOWDER RECIPE I HAVE FOUND

I've made chowder many times in my life and I would make it a little different each time because I was trying to find the perfect recipe. I was never completely satisfied with the results. This recipe, however, is absolutely delicious. Everyone who ate it after I made it shares my opinion. I think that the key to this recipe is using bacon grease and saving the bacon bits for garnishing. Previously, I would brown the bacon and then put both the bacon and grease into my chowder. The amount of bacon I used took away the taste of the clams. I highly recommend this recipe because you can feel confident that it will turn out tasty! For me, this recipe is a keeper.

Best NE Clam Chowder I ever had was on a cold, typical day in Newport, RI. ( it was June and around 68 degrees, we were freezing) My husband said let's take our two kids and go on the wharf and eat in one of those dive places that locals go to. Sure enough, we wnet in and had clam chowder, the best we ever had. Our son, who was 8 at the time, ate at least 3 bowls of it. Coming from Nashville, he had never had real clam chowder before. Great memories!!

You folks that like it thick might like eating Mayo right out of the jar too. R E A L Cape Cod Clam Chowda is not thick. You don't use a Roux. Just try out salt port in the pot on low heat so the fat won't brown. Then add the potatoes, onions and clams. Add butta and warm milk when you serve. If this is cooked correctly, the potatoes will thicken the chowda just enough. Of course you have to let this set for a day and then reheat. Much better the second day or the third, if there's any left.

New England is indeed made up of six states - CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT - and nothing more. I grew up in NY State but have lived in CT & MA for 23 years, and it still bothers me that when I say I'm originally from NY people assume it's NY City. It's a large state, there's way more to it than just Manhattan and the boroughs - the beauty of the Adirondacks, the lakes and rivers throughout Upstate NY, the list goes on. Regardless, no part of NY City is considered part of New England; perhaps it's just wishful thinking on the part of Manhattanites that they be part of Red Sox Nation.

As John posted above, the starch from the potatoes helps to thicken chowder. This, as well as well-rounded flavor, is why the potatoes should not be boiled separately and then added to the chowder. A flour and fat combo is a roux although in this recipe it's not prepared as a traditional roux. Whichever way works best to achieve the result you personally prefer is the one you should use. While it may not be "the" original New England version, the preparation as presented here is quite common in New England restaurants and home kitchens today.

It's not a great idea to freeze chowder as both the dairy products and the potatoes will lose their integrity, and reheating will result in a significantly different texture and appearance. Substituting parsnips or turnips for potatoes is not recommended because they are both much stronger flavors and would overwhelm the delicate flavor of the clams.

You can make chower that can be frozen. The key is to not add the dairy (either the cream or the milk) before it is frozen.

To make this Rhode Island chowda you need the following:

Quahogs
Potatoes
Onions
Bacon or Chirico
salt n pepper
Water
Milk

Take your quahogs, wash em with a brush, and put them in a big pot. Cover with water. Put on very low to medium heat to cook them just enough to open them up.

While your clams are cooking dice either two slices of bacon or a small piece of chirico. Place this in a frying pan for 5 minutes then add your chopped onions. Cook together until the onions are soft and just beginning to brown. Remove from the fire.

Take you quahogs and shuck them over a bowl. Chop em. Put them in the bowl with the juice that you have collected.

At this point you have the onions and the clams cooked and your juice. Sometimes I use the water from cooking the quahogs , strain it to remove any sand etc, then cook the potatoes with it.

When the potatoes are half cooked add the rest of the items. Add salt and pepper to taste. At this point you have two choices. Continue and eat it. Or freeze it.

Take some whole milk and being to whisk it into the chowder. Bring it to a boil and then remove it from the heat and serve right away. Garnish with a little dab of butter and paprika.

Any recipe, or how you choose to prepare it all boils down to one thing...personal preference. I HATE, hearing people say, "no, no, no..." trying to tell people they are doing it all wrong, just because they aren't fixing it they way they 'demand' you to. Sheesh! People are not all alike, and what one likes prepared one way, the other may not like at all... So, you prepare it the way you like it and leave everyone else alone to decide for themselves which way is best for them. Nobody is right, nobody is wrong...., fix it how it tastes the best to you and ignore all the nay sayers. There are NO so-called food experts who can tell you what you like or don't like...it is all up to the individual and how it tastes to them. No self-proclaimed food expert can decide that for you. All the nit-picking going on about this recipe is ridiculous... People trying to tout their own horns.....grow up!

At any rate, we dug clams today, tried this recipe made with our fresh clams, and it was scrumptious...all nine of us who ate it agreed! That is all that matters, how it tastes to you. If you don't like it, go post your recipe on your own site and let people decide for themselves.

I love clam chowder and any recipe is just a base for your own creation!

As for eating fish on Friday, I think the real reason is because when you cook fish it stinks up the house. If you cook it on Friday night, you have time to clean the house on Saturday morning thus freshening away the fish funk!!! Ha Ha!!

WHO CARES WHERE NEW ENGLAND ENDS OR BEGINS WE ARE LOOKING FOR A GOOD CLAM CHOWDER RECIEPE NOTHING MORE NOTHING LESS MY HATS OFF TO THE AUTHOR OF THIS RECIEPE I TRIED IT LOVE IT AND WILL AND IT TO MY RECIEPE BOX. ROUX FIRST COME ON GIVE ME A BREAK IF YOU DONT LIKE THE ORDER OF STEPS FIND A DIFFERENT RECIEPE. GREAT RECIEPE EASY TO MAKE MOST IMPORTANTLY MY WIFE LOVED IT EXCEPT FOR MY MESS I MADE IN THE KITCHEN WHILE COOK WHAT CAN I SAY IM A GUY.